Theatrical illusion



June 30, 1925.

.7 H. R. LAW

THEATRI CAL ILLUS I ON Filed Jan. 19, 1925 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented June 30, 1925.

UNITED STATES mam nonnm LAW, or maiw YORK, N. Y.

THEATRICAL ILLUSION.

Application filed January T all 10 lwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY Ronnn'r LAW, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York,

have invented a certain Improvement in Theatrical Illusions, of which the following is a specification.

The piesent invention relates toa method and apparatus for producing a novel, startling and puzzling illusion in connection with shadow dance performances on the stage. It is particularly useful and effective as a closing feature after a dance act of greater or less duration, and will be herein described as so used.

A preferred form of apparatus for carrying out the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus, Figure 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and Fig ure 3 is a perspective, View of a dancer and her shadow.

For the purpose of the preliminary act,

the stage 10 carries a space open at the front but enclosed by slanting black sides 11 and 12 and a black back 13. Black borders hang at 14 and 15. The footlights are indicated at 16, and bunch lights at 17, 18, 19 and 20.

During the preliminaries, one or more performers give dances as indicated at 21, thus producing magnified shadows cast by a suitable spot light as shown at 22. Various color effects are produced in any well known manner. For instance, at special cues different colored lights are thrown upon the drop at back stage, either so as to make the dancer and her shadow appear as of one color, or, if desired, by lighting the dancer with a green light in a baby spot and red lights back stage, the dancer can be made to appear green and her shadow red. Other colors can of course be used.

At the conclusion of such a dance my novel illusion is introduced as follows.

- At 23 is suspended a special drop which can be raised and lowered as diagrammatically indicated by the roller 24. This special drop 19, 1925. Serial No. 3,802.

is coated with zinc sulphite or other luminous paint, which hasv the property of becoming phosphorescent for a short time after being Sub ected to light.

The dance hitherto described has taken place under illumination. by green or red light as the case may be fromv the footlights 16, and the phosphorescent material on the back drop has, consequently, not been materially affected by this colored light.

For the production of the final illusion, however, the dancer places her body, in any appropriate pose, against the drop 23, and the colored lights being extinguished, a brilliant white light is thrown upon her and upon adjacent portions of the drop 23 by the bright baby spot light indicated at 25 in Figure 1.

The lights are then all again extinguished and the special drop 23 is raised. That portion of the drop 23 which had been illuminated by the spot light will, of course, appear luminous to the audience, While the portion shielded from the light by the dancers body will present a non-lumious silhouette of her figure. To the onlookers it will therefore appear as though the dancer herself faintly illuminated were floating upward out of sight.

iVhat I claim is'- 1. The method of creating the illusion that an object is being removed from a scene which consists in projecting a light upon a portion of a movable screen having a phosphorescent surface while throwing the shadow of the object thereon, removing the light and then removing the screen from the scene.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 as applied to the apparent removal of a dancer from the scene, wherein the dancers body is placed close to the screen during its illumination.

In testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand on this 29th day of September 1924.

HARRY ROBERT LAW. 

